Maine health officials confirmed two more cases of the Jamestown Canyon virus, increasing the state's total case count for 2017 to three, according to a health department report published August 21.
The previously identified case occurred in a Kennebec County resident in early June. The individual required hospitalization, but has since recovered. The most recent cases occurred in a Franklin County resident and a New Hampshire resident, according to WMTW News 8.
The Jamestown Canyon virus is an arbovirus similar to West Nile. Arboviruses often incite fever and flu-like illness and can result in the onset of encephalitis or meningitis.
Jamestown Canyon virus is a relatively rare diseases carried by several mosquito species, including those present in Maine. Humans can contract the virus via mosquito bites. The virus can not be spread by human-to-human or animal-to-human contact, according to the Maine CDC.